Beetle Bailey Commemorate Stamp Gets First–Class Salute

University of Missouri and the Central Missouri PCC host dedication August 27

August 27, 2010

COLUMBIA, MO — The U.S. Postal Service, the University of Missouri and the Central Missouri Postal Customer Council (PCC) celebrated the issuance of the Beetle Bailey commemorative postage stamp during a special dedication held near the University’s Beetle Bailey Sculpture Garden. The Garden is a long-standing tribute to Mizzou’s favorite comic strip artist Mort Walker and “The Shack,” a popular student hangout from the 1920’s until it closed in 1984.

The Beetle Bailey stamp is one of five newspaper comic strips featured in the “Sunday Funnies” stamp pane issued July 16 in Columbus, Ohio.

“Like stamps, comic strips often tell a story through humor, adventure, fantasy, and sometimes drama,” said David Martin, District Manager of the Postal Service’s Gateway District. “Today, we commemorate one of our country’s most beloved comic strips and dedicate a stamp that represents a unique part of American culture.”

Art Director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, selected the images appearing on the “Sunday Funnies” stamp pane. The 44-cent First-Class Mail Beetle Bailey stamp depicts Beetle, smiling calmly while Sarge loses his cool. A military comic strip with universal appeal, Beetle Bailey first appeared in September 1950. Possible the laziest man in the army, Private Beetle Bailey is an expert at sleeping and avoiding work.

Other comic strips featured in the pane of stamps are: Dennis the Menace, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes and Archie.

Ordering the Columbia MO Station cancellation

A special cancellation will be available at the August 27 dedication and will be available for 60 days following the ceremony. Customers may purchase new stamps at Post Office facilities or at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at Post Office facilities, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

After apply the fist-day-of-issue postmark, the USPS will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by September 17, 2010.

Ordering First-Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issued cancellation. Each item ahs an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic Catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.